Even Kittens have Claws

Part Eleven -- by Becky Ratliff

Christy wasnt sure which way Cooper had gone in the dark
cargo bay. She knew he was around here somewhere, but
Sam and Emerson had to be around here somewhere too!

She grinned as she spotted Emerson drawing a bead on Cooper, and
raised her paint gun and shot him. His hand came away wet with
paint and he gave her a disbelieving look, then sat down on a box
to be dead for a while.

Unaware of his close call, Cooper stalked Sam through a hatch
into the next hold. He didnt know what was going on when
something heavy dropped over his head -- a big square of canvas
-- and he was knocked heavily to the deck. Pain exploded through
his body as heavy blows and kicks started to rain down on him
through the canvas. He couldnt get out, it was all he could
do to try to keep from getting his head busted in.

Christy opened the hatch stealthily...and saw a bunch of guys
beating the hell out of a struggling figure under a canvas tarp.
She saw Sam tied up, gagged with his own shirt, hanging by his
wrists from a pipe. He too had been beaten.

She chose her target carefully and put the biggest one down with
a vicious kick to the back of his knee, he went down screaming
and that gave her a seconds advantage of confusion. Now,
according to everything McQueen and Hawkes had been teaching her
the last few days, she was
supposed to take advantage of that confusion to run. But
running wasnt an option now. She used the time to attack
one of the others, he went down with a broken arm.

By then the rest of the gang had got their wits about them.
Taking them out wouldnt be anywhere nearly so easy.
It looks like the kittens going to fight, one
of them jeered.

Christy replied, Even kittens have claws. How many more of
you want to end up like your friends here?

Youre going to be sorry for that.

I dont think so!

The closest one grabbed at her, she ducked underneath his arm and
punched him in the ribs. She didnt know if she broke one or
not, but it was enough to make him retreat, gasping and cursing
her. She darted past him and made for a rope she saw hanging,
shinnied up it and onto the top of a line of cargo containers.

Dont let her get away! Were cooked if she
reports us!

They came after her, she kicked the heavy metal lid off one of
the cargo containers and hit the first two with it. A whole stack
of plastic jugs rolled out and got underfoot, she jumped for the
rope and swung across to the opposite line of containers. She ran
along the top, with the gang chasing right behind her, searching
the walls for the fire alarm box. That would attract some help
down here! But she didnt see one.

A noise overhead caught her attention, she dived for cover as a
cargo net full of heavy boxes missed her by a hands width.

Meanwhile, Cooper had struggled out from under the canvas. He
yanked the wadded-up shirt out of Sams mouth.

Theyre chasing Christy, down that way! Come back for
me later!

Cooper didnt have to be told twice. He took stock as he
followed after them, he didnt think anything was broken. He
was luckier than the two guys Christy had knocked down, they were
going to medbay before theyd see the inside of the brig!

Christy couldnt get back up on the containers, and she
found herself up a blind alley. She drew herself up, prepared to
make her stand. But then the bullies found out Cooper was behind
them.

After that, it was a really short fight. When they realized
Cooper could probably kill the lot of them and that he was mad
enough to enjoy doing it, they gave in.

Christy called security to come get the gang of sailors while
Cooper got Sam down. But as soon as they heard the security
detail coming, they ducked out, leaving Sam to make explanations.
There was still a spy loose somewhere.

*****

Damphousse poked her head in. The games a scratch,
those swabees jumped Coop and them over in the hold.

Both C.O.s got to their feet. Is anyone hurt?

Just the sailors, I think. They were carrying some of them
out on stretchers and the rest of them are on their way to the
brig. Major Flannery, Sam was telling them what happened.

Todd took his cue. Id better get down there and see
whats going on.

God, what happened, Phousse? You go for months
without a clue whats going on with your powers, then today
its every five mikes!

She shook her head. I dont know, Shane!

Well, lets go check out the docking bay, then.

Nathan and the others are going to meet us up there.

They got off the lift. It was very quiet all around their docking
bay. Shane had never thought of the flight deck as spooky before,
but now it was!

Phousse grabbed her arm. Wait, Shane, look,
theres no one in the booth!

Shane said, You go that way and check in the maintenance
bays. Im going on in the hangar bay to look around my pit,
then Ill get the Colonel. Watch your six, there are plenty
of places to hide in here!

Damphousse did as she was told. It took her about ten mikes to
check the maintenance bays, nothing. She realized it was taking
Shane a long time.

She sent a ping to McQueens radio, he answered immediately.
Keeping her voice down, she said, Sir! Hes up here on
the flight deck somewhere!

There was no way directly onto flight deck from where McQueen
was. He hit the tunnel running and met Damphousse near the
maintenance exit. She was standing over the unconscious body of
the spy, she had whacked him over the head with a large wrench.

Wheres Shane?

I thought she was with you, Colonel, she said she was going
to check around her pit then catch up with you.

She never made it.

Damphousse searched the spy. Damn, damn, hes already
set the charge! Without being sure why she did it, she
threw the spys bag over her shoulder, and they ran for the
flight deck -- just as an explosion filled the bay with flame and
flying debris. Too early -- there shouldnt have been anyone
in there for another hour and a half yet. The spys nerve
must have failed him ... he must have decided to get out now.

Ross and the rest of the Cards caught up with them. Vanessa felt
the familiar, disquieting sensation of being two places at once.
She reached into the spys bag and grabbed a block of
plastique and a detonator. But she knew as she did it
that the detonator was bad. She looked -- it was the last one.
Plastique explosive would burn, but it wouldnt explode
without a detonator ... and even though one of the wires leading
to this one had a break in it, the detonator would go off from a
sufficient shock as well as an electrical charge. A bullet would
be more than sufficient. For a split second, she
hesitated, then she came to a decision and grabbed the spys
gun as well.

Shanes in there! She told them. And McQueen did
exactly what shed just seen him doing.

Ty looked between Glen and the spreading fire. What was necessary
had to be done. He said, I'm sorry, Glen-- With that,
his hand shot out, hit the button to close off the docking bay --
but before the doors could close, he had dived through. He could
still hear Glens horrified shout to him to come back, but
he couldnt leave Shane to die like his friends at Port
Riskin without being sure there was no chance. Life or death, the
same for both of them.

No NB should have been able to match that burst of speed, but
when he got his feet under him, Vanessa was right there beside
him. She must have been moving before he did.
Damphousse, what the hell are you--?! He
couldnt think of anything to say that wasnt a case of
pots and kettles.

Damphousse said hurriedly, Shes right under the
starboard side of her pit. The fires got to the main box
for the bay doors, they wont be able to blow them from out
there. Ill have to set a charge. Ill meet you at the
emergency lock -- but shut it if this charge goes off,
cause if it does, you can bet it cooked off in my hand.
Theyll have to blow the bay doors from the outside with a
missile if it comes to that, you want both hatches of that lock
between you and the bay if that happens! With that, she
took off running ... into the worst of the fire, lost in the
black smoke.

He swore, torn two ways ... but Phousse knew exactly what
she was doing. He ran for Shanes cockpit and found her just
as Phousse had said. She was deeply unconscious, her flight
suit was soaked with blood around a neat, Ka-bar sized cut. The
spy had stabbed her in the back. McQueen swore if he got out of
this alive, hed kill that son of a bitch with his bare
hands.

There wasnt time to think about that now. He picked Vansen
up, she seemed light as a child. He hoped he wasnt doing
her further harm by moving her, but there was no choice. One way
or another, from the fire or hard vacuum, conditions here would
soon be unsurvivable.

The emergency lock opened right away, at least that was
still working properly. He found a wad of gauze and packed it
into Shanes wound. It was still bleeding, that was a good
sign because it meant she was still alive. But she was out so far
she didnt even flinch.

Someone pounded on the other side of the lock. He made sure Shane
was safely inside, then stepped out and shut the door so they
could open the other side. He ran towards the bay doors, found
Damphousse just finishing up setting the charge.

She looked up at him. The detonators bad! Im
going to have to set it off with a shot. Get out of
here!

Im a better shot than you are, he told her.

Not from six inches away you arent. I dont have
Shane waiting for me, she replied bluntly. I
dont mind going to be with Paul. Sir, I swear to God, I
will shoot to wound you and throw you in one of those cockpits if
I have to ... but you arent taking my place and
leaving Shane alone for the rest of this war!

He stared at her, she didnt give a millimeter and he had no
doubt she was capable of carrying out the threat. For Shane, for
him, at this moment her own life meant nothing to her. If the
situation hadnt been so deadly serious, he would have seen
the humor in a circumstance where a threat to shoot someone was
an act of love. Vanessa, I can hit the detonator from that
cargo box. But you'd have to have your hand on the switch to get
the hatch closed in time....

It took her a split second to figure out if the plan was
workable, whether or not she could get the transport hatch closed
fast enough to make it worth risking two lives instead of
sacrificing one. Hope came into the eyes of a woman who had
already started thinking of herself as dead. We can do
it.

They ran for the box. McQueen hadnt taken the billowing
smoke from a couple of flaming cockpits into account, the charge
on the doors came in and out of view. Vanessa said,
Its going to clear for a second!

She was right. He took the shot while he had the opportunity, and
hit the detonator. It went off with a roar, and warped the bay
doors outward far enough for explosive decompression to do the
rest. Everything loose in the bay turned into a projectile, just
as Vanessas hand slammed down on the hatchs emergency
release. Another half second later the boxs hatch fell
home.

McQueen felt a stab of pain from his bad ear that almost knocked
him over, until the boxs air supply returned the pressure
to normal. He and Vanessa just looked at each other for a second.
Then she screamed at the top of her lungs, YES!! And
hugged him. Then she got embarrassed, but he just put his arm
around her and held her for a minute, laughing as much in relief
as at her flustered reaction. Its okay,
Vanessa.

Shane? Is she--

She was alive when I left her. I put her in the lock, there
were some mechanics on the other side. Someone stabbed her.
He raised his comlink.

Outside, Ross, West and Hawkes, and Mark and Christy could only
watch in horror as the vacuum extinguished the fire and sucked
the smoke out into space. Then McQueens voice came over the
comm system, assuring them that he and Damphousse were okay and
demanding information on Shanes condition. The mechanics
who had gotten her out of the emergency airlock had sent for the
medics, shed been taken straight into surgery. All Ross
could say to reassure his friend was that she was still alive.

Ross let the young people go down to sickbay. There was really
nothing they could report about what had happened that
wasnt immediately obvious, formal reports could wait until
theyd satisfied themselves that Vansen would be all right.
As soon as the crews rescued McQueen and Damphousse they joined
the rest to wait for news.

It wasnt too long until Mary came out to tell them Shane
would live, although an alarming amount of the blood in her veins
at the moment had once belonged to other people. She made sure
someone checked out Hawkes bruises to make sure that was
all they were. You cant all stay here, just one at a
time. She really will be fine, Ty.

McQueen said, Ill stay. You two take Hawkes with you
and go report in.

When theyd gone, Mary gave him a critical look. Are
you okay?

He nodded. When can I see her?

Now, I suppose, youd might as well sit with her.
Itll be at least an hour before she comes out from under
the anesthesia, though, and itll be tomorrow before she
knows youre here.

Shell know.

Mary had heard that same sentiment expressed too many times to
discount it. All right, then. She will be all
right, TC. Youll be surprised at how much better
shell be doing just by tomorrow.

Todd Flannery came up as he was about to go in. He asked,
Shane?

Shes still under, but Dr. OLeary says
shell be fine.

Flannery looked through the hatch, people always looked so small
and fragile in hospital beds. He hesitated, but it was obvious
that McQueen intended to sit with her. He knew sickbays
rules about visitors. When she wakes up, tell her I was by
... Ill come back tomorrow.

McQueen nodded. Flannery looked in again, then left.

McQueen went on inside and dragged a chair over to Shanes
bedside. The room was silent except for the constant hum of the
bank of monitors at the head of the bed. Everything was clean
white, it seemed bright even with the lights dimmed. That was
good, Shane wouldnt have to wake up in the dark.

She barely seemed to be breathing. But the readouts on the
monitors all looked good ... at least as far as he could tell.

Gloria came in. She had Shanes meds, a couple of things
that she injected into the saline bag. She checked things.
For a bunch of people who hate sickbay, you sure give us a
hell of a lot of business, she said.

How is she?

Just fine. Shes starting to come out. Ill get
another chair so you can put your feet up and try to sleep,
its headed for 0100.

About 0300, Ross came by. He looked tired but quite satisfied,
his expression changed to worry when he saw Vansen. How is
she?

They say pretty good. McQueen unfolded his legs from
the other chair and toed it over Ross way, the Commodore
sat down.

Security found the launch controller, shes dead. Her
friends said shed been excited the past few days about her
new boyfriend, guess who it was?

Now we know what he meant by access.
Damn.

Yeah.

Shanes eyes flickered open. For a moment, they both had
their hands full -- she didnt realize she wasnt still
fighting off a knife-wielding assassin, and they were afraid
shed tear open her injury trying to get away. But then she
recognized McQueen.

He reassured her, We got the guy, Shane. Phousse
brained him with a pipe wrench. Its okay. Youre in
sickbay.

What happened? The bomb--

Went off and weve got another launch bay down for
repairs, but no one besides yourself was hurt this time,
Ross assured her. This idiot of yours blew the bay doors
with a block of plastique.

McQueen said, Dont look at me, it was Vanessas
idea.

Shane said weakly, Two idiots, then. But the
affection in her voice took all the sting out of her words.
You and Phousse ... sure youre okay?

He nodded. The detonator she had was no good, Damphousse
was ready to sacrifice her life to blow the doors. There was a
cargo box in there, I was able to make the shot from that
distance, and then we just waited in there until they brought us
EVA gear.

Ross said, You might tell her that the chief engineer
informed me the fire would have started spreading to adjacent
areas if it had not been put out when it was. The two of you
undoubtedly saved a number of lives.

Ill inform the Lieutenant of that, sir.

And Ill tell them out there that Shanes
awake, Ross grinned.

Shane reached for McQueens hand and asked, How
bad--

You were lucky. Mary said youll be all right in a
couple of weeks.

You got me out of there, didnt you?

He nodded, but said, It was really Vanessa ... she told me
where to find you.

Shane closed her eyes and lay back. Were going to
have one hell of a time figuring out where the Chinese
obligations begin and end.

Lets just say it includes us all, and leave it at
that.

She smiled. He didnt release her hand until he heard voices
in the corridor outside.

Two days later, Shane was allowed to go back to the barracks.
Dr. OLeary figured she could lie around and sleep there as
well as anywhere else, and for the time being, that was all she
really wanted to do most of the time. She would be grounded until
there was no further danger of reopening her wound.

Cooper was relieved to see her back in her usual spot, and even
more relieved to see McQueen sitting with her. Now that he had
got used to the idea, that seemed to be the way things were
supposed to be.

Christy knocked at the hatch, he joined her and Mark outside.
Even though the gang of bigots had been caught, and it was highly
unlikely anyone else would try the same thing after theyd
seen the Commodores reaction to those guys, she had decided
to continue learning martial arts. Cooper was surprised to find
that he enjoyed teaching her and Mark, even though the teacher
was scrambling to stay one chapter ahead of the students.

Mark looked down the corridor. You guys go ahead to the
gym, Ill catch up in a little while.

Christy asked, Hows Shane?

Better today. She sat up for an hour or so after breakfast.
She still sleeps a lot.

Thats a good sign, Cooper, Christy reassured
him.

Hey, Christy, some of the new movies are supposed to be
pretty good. Would you, umm ... like to go see one with me
tonight after you get off duty?

She smiled. That sounds great, Coop.

A little while later, he reached for her hand, and she laced her
fingers with his. For a while, anyway, all was right with
Coopers world.

Im not a professional musician, but thats half
the fun. I was talking to Julie, the girl we played paintball
with, and she plays keyboards. Thats a pretty good
beginning for a band.

Well, I did start to learn to play bass one time. What kind
of music do you like?

A little country, some blues, some folk and bluegrass. I
like to listen to South American music, but Im not a good
enough guitarist to play it.

Vanessa smiled. You know something, Mark, that sounds like
something Id really like to try. When can we get
together?

Tomorrow evening?

That sounds good for me, Vanessa said.

I usually practice in rec room B. Do you have a bass?

I think I can borrow one, she replied.

Great! Ill see you then!

Vanessa stood there for a long moment. She had a sense of moving
on, of new beginnings. It wasn't, thank God, another
vision...shed had a rest from them the last few days. But
she did have a feeling that things were right somehow.

*****

Vansen curled up against the extra pillow that West had swiped
for her. She had sat up in her rack to watch the news after
breakfast, but that effort had exhausted her. It was frustrating,
she had to just take it on faith when everyone said she would be
recovered in couple weeks. Right now it felt like she would never
walk any further than back and forth to the head. I
cant believe I was dumb enough to let that son of a bitch
get the drop on me, she griped, not for the first time.

We thought hed have to come in through the
crawl-space. We thought wrong. Its that simple,
McQueen said.

I know...did they get anything out of him?

No, not before Naval Intelligence picked him up anyway. But
hell have to take whatever deal they offer him,
theyve got him cold for the murder of Lt. Sedley in
addition to all the other charges against him.

Id have liked to have-- She bit off whatever
she had been going to say, but the look in her eyes was decidedly
unfriendly.

McQueen told her, Yeah. Me too. They made sure I
didnt get anywhere near him.

I dont blame the Commodore for that, Vansen
grinned. The spys history. Im just glad
hes finally been identified, I was getting damn tired of
looking over my shoulder.

McQueen had to agree with that. We dont know that
there arent more.

Well, well never know that for sure, I guess.
She tugged at the blanket, trying to get comfortable. She decided
that was just impossible and settled for turning over on her
side, maybe it wasnt comfortable but at least it was different.

She sighed a little as McQueen reached out to brush the hair out
of her eyes. It doesnt matter right now. Just
rest.

She was more than willing to do just that. McQueen watched her
sleep for a while, before he dimmed the lights and headed up to
the bridge.